Arthur

/ˈɑːθə/

//ˈɑːθə// name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"arthur" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Arthur” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,542. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,542
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A male given name from the Celtic languages.

Corpus desk

Index EN-arthur · Arthur · English

Arthur · rank #3,542 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,542
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Anthony

Nearest frequency peer: Anthony (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Arthur”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Arthur” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Arthur vs author
50% similar
Arthur vs archer
50% similar
Arthur vs artful
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Arthur
PropertyValue
HeadwordArthur
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈɑːθə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,542
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Arthur”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Arthurlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Anthony” (#3,541), “aspect” (#3,543), “amounts” (#3,540). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “Arthur” is #3,542. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Arthur (IPA /ˈɑːθə/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #3,542 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 16 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Arthur, with forms such as "arhtur", "arrthur", and "arthhur". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "author", "archer", "artful", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the name of the legendary king, from Middle English Arthure, from Medieval Latin Arthurus, probably from Middle Welsh arth (“bear”). Other suggestions include Old Welsh arth (“bear”) and ur (“man”), or a Latinized (Romano-British) name; compare Latin A… The correct English form is Arthur, spelled A-R-T-H-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male given name from the Celtic languages.
  2. 2
    A surname originating as a patronymic.
  3. 3
    A number of places in the United States:
  4. 4
    A number of places in the United States:
  5. 5
    A number of places in the United States:
  6. 6
    A number of places in the United States:
  7. 7
    A number of places in the United States:
  8. 8
    A number of places in the United States:
  9. 9
    A number of places in the United States:
  10. 10
    A number of places in the United States:
  11. 11
    A number of places in the United States:
  12. 12
    A number of places in the United States:
  13. 13
    A number of places in the United States:
  14. 14
    A number of places in the United States:
  15. 15
    A former rural municipality in Manitoba, Canada, now part of the municipality of Two Borders.
  16. 16
    A community in Wellington North township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada, named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Arthur appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Young Arthur is alive: this hand of mine / Is yet a maiden and an innocent hand, / Not painted with the crimson spots of blood.
  2. "Is his name Arthur?" "Arthur James." "It’s quite an old-fashioned name." "We’re an old-fashioned family. His mother was fond of Tennyson."

Etymology

From the name of the legendary king, from Middle English Arthure, from Medieval Latin Arthurus, probably from Middle Welsh arth (“bear”). Other suggestions include Old Welsh arth (“bear”) and ur (“man”), or a Latinized (Romano-British) name; compare Latin Artorius, itself possibly of Etruscan origin, or more likely Messapic-Illyrian related to Proto-Albanian *artsa (“bear”).

This word in other languages

Arturo(Español)Arthur(Français)Arthur(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • arhtur
  • arrthur
  • arthhur
  • arthru
  • arthurr
  • artthur
  • artuhr
  • atrhur
  • rathur

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Arthur - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

arhtur2arrthur1arthhur1arthru2arthurr1artthur1artuhr2atrhur2
Edit distance from "Arthur"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Arthur"?
"Arthur" is spelled A-R-T-H-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɑːθə/.
What does "Arthur" mean?
As a proper noun, "Arthur" means: A male given name from the Celtic languages.
What words are commonly confused with "Arthur"?
"Arthur" is commonly confused with "author", "archer", "artful". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Arthur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Arthur" is /ˈɑːθə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Arthur"?
From the name of the legendary king, from Middle English Arthure, from Medieval Latin Arthurus, probably from Middle Welsh arth (“bear”). Other suggestions include Old Welsh arth (“bear”) and ur (“man”), or a Latinized (Romano-British) name; compa... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Arthur", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

aspect#3,543banned#3,544bureau#3,546walker#3,538

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

whoever9 variantsdragon9 variantsrarely9 variantsracist9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list